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Jacob Peterson
My career has given me experience applying a broad range of statistical and spatial methodologies and honed me into expert in R programming and working with a GIS. Academic research has prepared me to think critically, learn new skills independently and quickly, manage complex projects, and collaborate within teams to achieve results. I enjoy exploring datasets, solving the puzzles that accompany analysis, and transforming raw data into the solutions used to answer important questions.
I am currently looking for a data science position that allows me to solve pragmatic problems while leveraging my skills in data management, GIS, and statistical analysis.
Professional Experience
Graduate Teaching/Research Assistant
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
2019
- Led design and development of a spatially explicit agent-based model
- Was the lead author on two grant application proposals
- Managed collaborations between universities, state agencies, and private stakeholder organizations
- Continued graduate coursework focusing in statistics and data science
Student Consultant
Oklahoma State University and Purdue University
N/A
2019 - 2016
- Drew on my expertise in R programming, statistics, and GIS to assist other students, post docs, and research staff within my graduate schools
- Consulting topics included: basic R programming, data cleaning, data management, statistical and spatial analysis
- Led help sessions one on one and within small working groups
- Provided detailed presentations about new techniques to lab research groups and graduate level classes
Graduate Research Assistant
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK
2018 - 2016
- Experience applying mixed-effect regression models and a variety of spatial movement and resource selection models
- Designed a spatial classification function in R to characterize different animal behaviors given GPS movement data of an individual
- Developed an R package to increase reproducibility of my research methods
- Located, obtained, prepared, and managed large datasets from multiple state and federal agencies, private companies, and universities
- Lead author on two academic manuscripts and multiple research summary reports
Field Technician - White-tailed Deer Capture
Missouri Department of Conservation
Rea, MO
2016 - 2015
- Assisted in the capture and tagging of adult and neonate deer
- Used VHF and Iridium GPS telemetry to monitor individual survival and movement patterns
- Required adaptability and attention to detail to accomplish research goals when working in rough terrain and subject to variable weather patterns
Human Dimensions Technician
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Fort Collins, CO
2015 - 2012
- Assisted a variety of interdisciplinary projects in social science and natural resources
- Created summary reports for survey results and conducted literature reviews
- Designed and managed Access and ESRI geodatabases
GIS & Human Dimensions Independent Study
Colorado Parks and Wildlife & Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO
2015
- Began development of a method to spatially predict human attitudes and tolerance using survey response data
- Experience using SQL to interface with a database and Python & R to script a spatially-explicit model
Professional Communication
- I have given talks about my graduate research at five professional conferences in the last two years
- I currently have two scientific articles up for peer-review in professional journals
Additional Interests
- Continued Learning - I am always in pursuit of new methods, code libraries, and ideas that could increase the efficiency or statistical rigor of my analyses.
- Scientific communication - I enjoy explaining complex problems, statistical analyses, and their results to non-specialists.
- FOSS - I am an advocate for free and open source options that allow fully reproducible science and help others learn.
- Teaching/Mentoring - I have a passion for helping others discover how scripting and programming can make themselves more efficient.
More Info
See full CV at github.com/jacpete/Resume_CV/ cv_Peterson.pdf for a more complete list of positions and experience.
Made w/ pagedown.
Source code: github.com/jacpete/Resume_CV.
Last updated on 2020-01-29.
NSF - Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellow
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
2015
- Data-mined a fish stomach database using SQL and R to establish a food web for the North Atlantic Ocean and assess correlation between these interspecific relationships with meta-population synchrony
Field Technician - Mule Deer Neonate Capture
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Piceance State Wildlife Area, CO
2014
- Assisted in the capture and tagging of neonate deer
- Used VHF and Iridium GPS telemetry to monitor individual survival and assess cause of mortality
- Experience working alone and as a small team in remote field locations
Predictive Model for Archaeological Sites Affected by Flood Damage
SIM Minor Capstone Project (CSU)
Fort Collins, CO
2014
- Designed a predictive model to locate prehistoric and historic cultural archaeological sites using spatial predictors
- Developed using Python scripts and ArcGIS
Education
M.Sc., Applied Statistics and Analytics
University of Kansas Medical Center
Overland Park, KS
Present - 2020
- Emphasis: Data Science
M.Sc., Natural Resources Ecology and Management
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK
2018 - 2016
B.S., Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO
2015 - 2012
- Minor: Spatial Information Management (SIM)
Teaching Experience
Vertebrate Population Dynamics
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
West Lafayette, IN
2019
- Teaching assistant for senior-level undergraduate course
- Covered introduction to statistics and life tables in R, distance sampling using Program Distance and mark-recapture analysis with Program MARK
- Experience teaching quantitative topics to a diverse non-expert audience
Big Data in Forest Research - Guest Lecture
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
West Lafayette, IN
2019
- Guest lecture on using R as a GIS for a graduate course
- Covered an introduction to the
tidyverse, the differences between packagesspandsf, using packageraster, and mapping withggplotandtmap